Fear the Dark
by Luca Calahan
Summary: The glint of sunlight clashing with the gleaming blade flashed in Kakashi's vision, before white-hot agony and a blinding darkness consumed him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N July 21, 2018: Hello! I see I still have a small, steady flow of readers that pass through here, so a passing note - I'm looking for roleplay partners for 1x1 hurt/comfort/angst roleplays. If you're interested, shoot me a message here. I don't care about your writing level - just looking for a casual, angst-filled, hurt/comfort roleplay. Thanks!**

 **Author's Note(s)/Disclaimer:** First and foremost, I don't own Naruto. All that I own of this is the ability to put words to paper (or, in this case, on a screen). Equally important, however, is the note that this is set in an alternate universe. There will be many inconsistencies with the canon, and I am aware of this. I'll be changing around the facts quite a bit to better suit this story. I don't have all of these inconsistencies planned, but there are a few important ones that I can inform you of, to avoid too much confusion:

In this universe, Obito did not die at Kannabi Bridge. You can safely assume that all went as depicted in the Kakashi Gaiden (anime version, since I haven't read the manga), except Kakashi, Obito, and Rin all safely escaped the final boulder-falling, and carried on with their lives as usual, however Kakashi still did lose his eye (and didn't receive a Sharingan replacement, or any replacement, for that matter). This takes place sometime after Kannabi Bridge, before Rin or Minato's death (so, Kakashi is around 13 years old, and is already a Jounin).

I got very annoyed with having to copy and paste the letters with macrons in my last fanfiction, and therefore will be using spellings such as 'Jounin' and 'Chuunin'. Be warned, though, for at times (in certain words) I may completely forego any replacement or compensation for missing macrons, simply because taking the time to looking up how to Westernize a word generally ends me up completely distracted and bored of writing a story.

As is dictated on my profile, I must warn you that this story may be subject to sudden, abrupt time skips, in order to maintain my interest in writing it. If this interest-preservation fails, it may also abruptly end. Finally, I may rush through some parts to get to more interesting parts, once again to maintain my interest.

Now, without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

Kakashi cursed in a low hiss as a kunai flew past him, slashing his right shoulder as he barely avoided a much more serious hit. Several unseen enemies - three, as far as Kakashi could tell - lurked somewhere nearby, one of which Kakashi assumed was responsible for the kunai which had just narrowly missed his chest.

In the distance, off in another section of the forest, Kakashi could make out the cries of Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei. Thankfully, they weren't cries of pain - for the most part, they were cries of panic and warning, as the three waged their own battle against a slightly larger group of enemies. Just moments ago, Kakashi had been fighting alongside his team. Now, however, they had been separated, and Kakashi was on his own, outnumbered.

Not that such odds mattered, of course. These three Iwa-nin didn't faze Kakashi in the slightest, despite the fact that he had yet to land more than a single hit on each.

Now, backing up on a thick branch, to press his back against the tree's thicker trunk, Kakashi scanned the forest intently, hoping to catch even a glimpse of the enemy. Met with no such luck, the young Jounin remained motionless, alert, and frozen in position for what seemed like an eternity, yet could have been no more than a minute.

"Ah, he's a strong one."

Kakashi snapped his gaze to the left as a cruel, sneering remark rang out. It wasn't hard to spot the owner of said voice - making no attempt to disguise his presence, the Iwa-nin was crouched on a branch disturbingly close.

"Most would've at least fallen off that branch by now, with the disruption in chakra control," The Iwa-nin continued cryptically, smirking at Kakashi's confused expression, "Don't worry, brat. That poison will set in any second now."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he processed the Iwa-nin's words. The kunai... It had been poisoned?! Now that Kakashi checked in with his chakra flow, he did notice a slight jerk in the usually steady stream, rapidly intensifying. It seemed to be fast-acting too... Kakashi swore silently, scolding himself for not considering the possibility of poison earlier. Now, it was far too late, as Kakashi sensed his chakra control slipping away all too quickly, and a wave of nausea overcoming him.

The leering enemy forgotten momentarily, Kakashi managed to tear his mask down just in time to lean out from the branch and promptly empty the contents of his stomach - albeit against his will.

"I'll give you credit, brat. Not many have lasted that long before the effects of my poison started to show."

This time, it was the sharp voice of a woman that greeted Kakashi's ears, much too close. The young Jounin glanced up quickly, to find said woman standing only a foot away, on the same branch as he. How had the enemy moved so quickly, without him noticing? Was his chakra control really that far gone already?

"Now, before that poison kills you, you're going to tell us where the Konoha reinforcements will be arriving, brat," The woman ordered, taking a step closer to Kakashi. Crouching down, she reached out swiftly, grasping the front of his shirt in her hand. Instinctively, Kakashi reached up to swipe her away - except he didn't.

Kakashi stared into the woman's eyes for a moment, shocked. His arms - he couldn't move his arms! Now that he tried, his legs seemed immobile as well, all his extremities tingling with a strange, half-numbness.

"Answer me, brat!" The woman snapped harshly, standing and pulling Kakashi up with her easily. With firm resolve, Kakashi shook his head, and was glad to find that at least those muscles were responding correctly.

"How about this? You tell us where the Konoha reinforcements are arriving, and we kill you right here, quick and painless," The woman paused, letting that sink in for a tense second, "If you refuse, we leave you here to die in agony, as the poison slowly spreads through your system, rendering you entirely immobile as your muscles seize up and you lose complete control of your body."

Kakashi kept his one-eyed gaze locked with the woman's, making no move to reply in any way.

"You sure that's what you want, kid?"

Kakashi swallowed hard, doing his best to maintain his stony external resolve, as he slowly slipped into panic internally. It wasn't the prospect of death that this woman had so elegantly presented to him - not even the likelihood of a painful death disturbed him. No, it was the thought of being utterly helpless in one's own body that unnerved the boy the most - the thought of having not a scrap of control.

"Well, I warned you. Although, I suppose we can't leave you like this, if someone does happen to find you."

The woman regarded him for a moment, before pulling a kunai from her belt.

"Have fun with that poison, brat."

The glint of sunlight clashing with the gleaming blade flashed in Kakashi's vision, before agony consumed him.

The woman was gone before Kakashi had even registered what had happened - and, of course, she'd taken the liberty to hold him away from the tree branch before she dropped him. However, Kakashi failed to even notice he was falling, as his instincts fought the poison in his bloodstream, and ultimately won out, one hand flying to his face and the other flying out behind him in an attempt to break his fall. Ultimately, his hand just added to his problems, as his wrist was suddenly strained upon impact with the ground, and bent back at an awkward, unnatural angle. Kakashi barely noticed.

He had been screaming, Kakashi now realised, as his arm buckled beneath his weight and he crumpled to the ground. Even as this fact vaguely dawned upon him, he made little attempt to cease the choked grunts that now escaped his throat with each breath that he forced out, each followed by a sharp gasp.

These realisations, however, were all distant, seeing as his immediate world seemed to exist solely of the sharp, flaring pain radiating out from a vertical laceration over his eye. With his hand pressed firmly against the deep cut, in some inane attempt to dull it, or maybe absorb it, Kakashi's trembling form gave into the boy's instincts, the poison's control pushed off for the moment as he rolled onto his side, drawing his legs up slightly before the poison's control took over once more, leaving him shuddering violently, frozen in that half-curled position.

Slowly, sensations other than the searing pain in his face returned to the young Jounin. Ultimately, in the farthest reaches of his barely-conscious mind, Kakashi decided he had been better off without them.

Aside from the pain encompassing his eye, a sharp ache suddenly rose to Kakashi's awareness in all of his muscles, accompanied by the strange, tingling, half-numb feeling he had previously experienced. It was growing increasingly hard to breathe as well - Kakashi wasn't sure if this was due to his sharp collision with the ground, an effect of the poison, or both. Vaguely, Kakashi was also aware that he was shaking, more so than before. This was out of his control, the violent contraction of muscles, which the boy was certain was due to the poison.

Although every second seemed like a passing eternity to the young Jounin, he wasn't mistaken in his belief after several minutes that he had simply lay there for far too long. Four minutes wasn't much, admittedly, but it was far more than enough time given the circumstances. However, unable to gain control over his quivering limbs, Kakashi had no choice but to remain where he was, trapped in this world of pain. Beneath the hand pressed to his eye, the bleeding from the deep laceration had yet to cease, though it had slowed considerably, leaving Kakashi's hand soaked with the drying crimson liquid.

In those four minutes of eternity, Kakashi failed to regain much composure. Somewhere, deep within the semi-conscious corners of his mind, he had a few coherent thoughts. However, the world around him was entirely drowned out. Therefore, when a warm, calloused hand suddenly came to rest on his trembling arm, Kakashi reacted purely out of instinct, once more forcing the poison's control of his movements away for a moment.

In a mere second, the boy had drawn a kunai with his bloodied hand, and had resorted to slashing wildly out in whichever direction his instincts took him, thinking only of fending off this attacker.

"Kakashi! Stop, Kakashi! Stop!" A moment later, the world returned to Kakashi, and with it the alarmed voice of his teacher as the same hand from before clasped firmly around his wrist, forcing him to relinquish the kunai almost immediately.

"It's me, Kakashi. It's okay, it's just me." Even with his chakra control shot, Kakashi could still vaguely confirm that this was, indeed, Minato-sensei's chakra present next to him. However, slightly further back seemed to be two others, a fact which immediately set Kakashi into panic again, as he strained against his teacher's grip to reach his dropped kunai.

"Oh, well, Obito and Rin, too, but it's okay. We're here to help. Just... Calm down."

It was clear that Kakashi could do no such thing, however he did cease his attempts to lash out, even after Minato released his wrist.

"Kunai... Poison..." Kakashi managed to gasp out these two words, before he was cut off by a violent series of coughs, likely the poison's attempt to force him to vomit again, despite his now-empty stomach.

"Okay, don't talk. Just... Let me see your eye," Minato placed a hand on the boy's wrist again, that hand having returned to Kakashi's face to press against his eye. Carefully, he pried the hand away, against Kakashi's resistance, and winced at the sight he was met with, blood obscuring any physical details of the wound that could be of use.

"Can you open it?" Minato questioned, holding Kakashi's shaking hand away from his face still.

The eyelid, which seemed to have cut cleanly in half at the top, but had survived when the kunai's pressure came off at the bottom, twitched slightly for a moment, as Kakashi attempted to open his eye. After a second, however, Kakashi released a sharp cry of pain, snapping his wrist out of Minato's grasp and pressing his hand against his face once more.

"Alright, let's just get to a hospital."

Now, Kakashi's world had begun to fade again, replaced by pain and a strange, creeping exhaustion. The poison's doing, again, he figured, as he slipped away into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note(s):** I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I apologize if any characters seem rather out-of-character. I don't write much fanfiction, so I'm not very used to writing with pre-existing characters.

Also, if you have time, I'd appreciate if you left a review! Let me know what you enjoyed, what you think I could improve on, so that I can provide you with better content in the future!

* * *

As he drifted into a hazy awareness, it took Kakashi's half-conscious mind only a few seconds to come to the conclusion that he had been captured. Something was wrapped tightly around his face, pressing into his eyes. A blindfold, of sorts, Kakashi figured. A strange, stinging pressure was present on the back of his left hand, which Kakashi assumed was some sort of restraint. A hard mask over his bare nose and mouth led Kakashi to reason that he was being drugged in some way, or maybe silenced. Wherever he was, the room seemed rather quiet. The only sounds Kakashi could detect were a steady beeping, or maybe several sequences of steady beeps, coming from nearby.

As he noticed this, and emerged further from the realm of sleep, Kakashi immediately began processing his options. He'd have to escape, obviously. How? Kakashi knew not. First, he focused on taking stock of his physical condition.

His mind was foggy, both from sleep, he guessed, and from whatever drugs the enemy may have put in his system. Checking his physical capabilities, Kakashi attempted to move his right hand. He succeeded in lifting it slightly, however he quickly became aware of some sort of brace holding it stiffly in position.

"Kakashi? Are you awake?"

So Minato-sensei had been captured as well, it seemed. That certainly wasn't good.

As a hand closed around his left, Kakashi failed to associate the touch with the voice he had heard before, and immediately jerked his hand away, swiftly changing its course as it reached his chest and swatting out at the unseen enemy. His hand was caught easily by the wrist, seeing as his movements were still quite slow.

"No, don't worry, you're safe."

Safe? They were in the hands of the enemy, how could they be safe?! Unless...

Kakashi poked his tongue out of his mouth, running it over his lips in an attempt to moisten them, before he opened his mouth and tried to speak. After several failed attempts, he managed to get a single word out, his voice sounding slightly strange due to the oxygen mask over his face.

"Where?" Kakashi croaked quietly, giving no resistance as his hand was lowered, and the other once again placed their hand atop his.

"Hospital. Back in Konoha. You've been asleep for about four days."

Kakashi silently scolded himself for not thinking of that obvious explanation earlier. Although it was still vague and confusing, memories of the events leading up to him passing out began to return, as he slowly lifted his shaking right hand, held vaguely stiller by the splint around it, and reached over to his left, running his fingers over the IV embedded in his skin there. Kakashi despised needles, almost on the same level as he despised hospitals. Far too much time spent in enemy hands, tortured and drugged, had rooted this unease deep within the boy.

"No, don't pull that out," Minato spoke in a warning tone, taking Kakashi's wrist and bringing his arm back down to rest beside him on the bed. Kakashi, however, soon rose his hand again, this time to the bandages wrapped tightly around the upper half of his face.

"Someone should be around to change those in the morning, if they're too tight," Minato offered, watching his student attentively.

Kakashi gave a minute nod, lowering his hand.

"Obito... Rin...?" Kakashi's voice was little more than a whisper this time, his breathy words strained and with great effort.

"They're fine. Home sleeping, I believe."

"Time?" Kakashi whispered after a moment, giving a minute nod to Minato's last response.

"Ah... About 2:00am."

"You... Why... Here...?" Although Kakashi's sentence was fragmented, and many words lost and displaced, Minato could still easily understand his student.

"Oh, I-" Minato laughed sheepishly, "Well, nowhere else to be, I guess. I couldn't sleep at home, so I... Came here."

"Been here... Whole time..." Kakashi translated, the ghost of a smile dancing across his lips.

"Er... Yeah."

Silence engulfed the two for several minutes, before Minto finally broke said silence.

"Do you need anything? Water? Or... Does anything hurt? Should I call a nurse? Adjust your IV drip?"

"Take it... Out?" Kakashi tried hopefully, a small, whispering laugh escaping his throat.

"I can't do that, Kakashi. Sorry," Minato replied, returning the laugh with his own quiet, yet light and cheerful one.

"Water?" Kakashi whispered, turning his head slightly in Minato's direction.

Minato swiftly retrieved a glass of water that had been placed beside the bed for when Kakashi awoke, and placed it in Kakashi's shaking, outstretched hand, keeping a hand on it to keep it steady. With his other hand, Kakashi removed the oxygen mask on his face, pulling it down to hang around his neck and bringing the glass to his mouth. He choked slightly on the water as it trickled down his throat, due to his position, but managed to drink it all, bringing relief to his dry throat and mouth. As the water hit his stomach, Kakashi was hit by a vague wave of nausea, likely a residual effect of the poison, however he managed to subdue said nausea quickly.

Kakashi allowed himself to go limp as Minato took the glass, replacing the oxygen mask before letting his arm falling to his side. Even if he had just supposedly slept for four days, he was exhausted, and had slipped back off to sleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

The second time Kakashi awoke was several hours later, in the morning. This time, Minato was not the only other one in the room.

"He woke up earlier, around 2:00, but only for a couple minutes."

Kakashi vaguely registered Minato speaking to another as he emerged from sleep, his senses slowly clearing.

"Did he say anything?" The voice that replied sounded rather familiar, a woman's, quite sharp and intimidating, yet... Safe, in a way.

"Not much. Asked about Obito and Rin, tried to take his IV out, of course, and I gave him some water. He fell back asleep a few minutes after that."

"Looks like he's awake now."

The woman's observation was, indeed, correct, as Kakashi raised his twitching fingers slightly higher in a pitiful greeting.

"You alright, kid?"

Kakashi recognized the voice, now, rather brash and abrasive. The Sannin Tsunade. Kakashi recalled meeting the woman on several occasions, mostly in the presence of Jiraiya and his own sensei.

Kakashi found the strength to give the woman a weak nod, which both Tsunade and Minato noticed, the latter with slight relief.

"Well, I have to change those bandages now," Tsunade informed the boy curtly, striding to the edge of the bed, "We've been refraining from any intensive chakra-healing therapy, but now that you're awake we should start that too. The poison has been mostly removed from your system, however there is some remaining in your bloodstream that'll take about a week to filter out. You may experience residual symptoms until then."

Kakashi offered no response as he listened to the quiet clicks and snaps of Tsunade adjusting something nearby.

Several minutes later, after the exhausting ordeal of helping Kakashi sit up against a few pillows, Tsunade set to work removing the gauze wrapped around his head. The sudden change in pressure against his eye was mildly painful, but the process was rather quick.

After the damage to Kakashi's left eye several months ago, minor healing work had been done, and although they had been unable to restore vision to it, the doctors had been able to do some minor repairs to the eye, restoring the now disfunctional eyeball itself so that the muscles functioned normally, preventing any major discomfort. Now, as Tsunade pulled the last of the bandages off, Kakashi's pale and obviously damaged, yet intact eye darted around anxiously, wide and unseeing. His other eye wasn't the most pleasant of sights, the laceration running over it looking to be rather infected, irritated, and swollen.

After a second of silent inspection, Tsunade raised her hand, already alight with healing chakra, to Kakashi's face.

"With that damage, I'm not sure how much good this will do you, kid, but I'll do my best," Tsunade informed the young Jounin grimly.

Some time later, Tsunade finally stepped back, observing her work. She'd managed to close up the deep cut rather easily, and although it still looked mildly infected, it wasn't nearly as gruesome as before. The swelling had certainly gone down as well, revealing what looked to actually be the normal shape of an eyelid. Sensing the presence of the chakra leave his eye, Kakashi forced his eye open, wincing slightly as the injury was disturbed. This eye, too, was rather pale and cloudy due to the scar tissue, unlike Kakashi's usual dark eyes.

For a moment, Kakashi's eyes simply flickered around the room, blinking rather rapidly. Finally, they settled, staring straight ahead, yet not seeming to actually stare _at_ anything.

"See anything? Even if it's blurry?" Tsunade inquired, scrutinizing the boy intensely.

Kakashi blinked, glancing around the room again, before shaking his head hesitantly.

"Alright..." Tsunade's tone sounded rather solemn and disappointed, as she watched the boy for a moment, before she looked to Minato, gesturing for the man beside her to turn off the lights. Minato understood immediately, and swiftly flicked the switch, plunging the room into relative darkness. As this darkness befell the room, Kakashi shifted, his face contorting into one of confusion.

"You saw that?" Tsunade questioned, a hopeful tone entering her voice.

Kakashi nodded uncertainly, still refraining from speaking. As he did so, he shifted again, moving slightly away from the pillows to weakly support his own body.

"Alright, so you've got some light perception. Sorry, kid, but I don't think I can do much more for you."

Kakashi nodded slowly, visibly attempting to process this information. From the beginning, he'd been rather doubtful of hope, but he'd suppressed this logical fear of what the outcome of his injury would be, in a state of denial. He'd convinced himself, in a way, that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was, and that with some medical ninjutsu, he'd be fine. Now, however, the realisation was hitting him. This darkness that surrounded him... It was his world, now. And it would be forever. It was difficult to comprehend... The thought of never seeing again, an action which Kakashi had always taken for granted, without even noticing.

And suddenly, it was all too much. The expansive, empty darkness, suddenly seemed to big, yet too small at the same time. There was no one, nothing, in this world. Nothing but the darkness. There was too much space, and yet the darkness seemed to be closing in, trapping Kakashi, slowly crushing him. It squeezed the air from his lungs, and sucked the oxygen from the air around him, ultimately suffocating.

"Kakashi?"

From somewhere beyond the darkness, a voice rang out, vaguely registering in Kakashi's mind. It did little, however, to stop the feeling that was rapidly overtaking his senses. He was alone, and there was nothing... Nothing at all. Yet suddenly, there was.

A hand came down lightly on Kakashi's arm, jerking him back to the world. Instantly, there was something else in the darkness, and he was no longer alone.

"Kakashi? Are you alright?"

Those words stirred Kakashi back to reality. Although the darkness did not fade, nor did it lighten, Kakashi now had _something_ in this empty world. In a quick, desperate motion, he brought his hand up, closing his grip tightly around his teacher's arm. Minato didn't protest, nor did he say any more, watching Kakashi with worry as his student's grasp on his arm tightened further. Gradually, the boy's rapid breathing, which had seemed to be assisted little by the oxygen mask, slowed. Kakashi seemed to be greatly calmed, simply by having an anchor, a link to the rest of the world.

Tsunade had remained by the bed, ready to assist if necessary, however as she watched Minato and his student, the slight concern that she had felt quickly disappeared. With a grim expression, Tsunade stepped away from the bed, glancing over Kakashi once more. Gauze wrappings were scattered across his body, from other wounds, though none of them were too serious, and would heal well with time. Besides, Tsunade had other places to be.

"Well, good luck, kid."

The woman turned, and strode swiftly from the room, leaving Minato to deal with Kakashi, and Kakashi to deal with the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is quite short, but better a short update than no update! Enjoy!

* * *

It had taken merely minutes for Kakashi to be claimed once again by exhaustion after his sudden panic attack, though even as he had sunk limply back into pillows, unconscious, his grip had remained firmly on Minato's arm for several minutes. It wasn't until rather late that night that Kakashi had woken again.

As he drifted into awareness, Kakashi immediately noticed one prominent difference from his earlier awakenings: the haze that had previously clouded his thoughts was finally beginning to clear. After a moment, Kakashi took note of another strange detail: only one being audibly breathed within the room - himself.

"Minato-sensei?" Kakashi called hesitantly, extending a hand to where his sensei had been when he had first awoken. His call was met only with the steady beeping of the equipment surrounding him.

Kakashi sighed, relaxing back into the pillows. However much he wanted to move, to do _something_ , he doubted his fatigued muscles, still recovering from the poison, would allow him such a liberty. Thus, for the next several minutes, Kakashi remained still, his clouded eyes staring off blankly as he allowed himself to simply process his thoughts.

"Oh, you're awake. Sorry, I was just checking in with Obito and Rin - they were insisting on-"

Minato stopped abruptly as he noticed the way his student had tensed, jerking back against the wall of pillows at the back of the bed.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I- yeah, I just- you, ah, startled me. I'm fine."

"Oh, sorry. You, ah- yeah. Sorry. I'll try not to do that again."

Kakashi nodded, relaxing into a seated position against the pillows as his nerves settled.

"How are you doing?" Minato inquired after a moment, lowering himself into the chair beside Kakashi's bed.

"Fine."

"You sure? Because, 'Kashi, if you aren't, that's okay. You can talk to me."

"I-" Kakashi sighed, "I'm fine, Sensei. I'm fine."

Minato watched Kakashi for a moment, taking in the resigned shrug he delivered with his words. Although Minato took a breath, preparing to speak, it was Kakashi who spoke first, rather suddenly.

"So, Obito and Rin?"

It was clear Kakashi was attempting to divert the conversation to a much less personal route, but Minato saw no need to push his student any further on that route at the moment.

"Oh, yeah. They were insisting on visiting you, but I told them they'd have to wait a day or two longer - you need your rest."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement at that, seeming rather distant, with his head tilted skywards, and his expression blank. Suddenly, he doubled over, clutching his stomach as his face contorted in pain.

"Kakashi?!" Minato exclaimed with overwhelming concern, jumping from his seat beside the bed to steady Kakashi's tense form, "Are you alright?!"

Kakashi let out a quiet grunt of pain, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, "Hurts. Everyth- ing hurts."

Minato cursed under his breath, watching his student for a second longer before darting to the door of the room, peering frantically out into the hall.

"Help! Please!"

In a matter of seconds, a trio of doctors came rushing into the room, crowding around Kakashi as they attempted to discern what was wrong, leaving Minato to stand worriedly a few steps away from the side of the bed, giving the doctors their space to work. After a few minutes, one stepped away and turned to Minato as the other two continued their work.

"This looks to be just the effects of the poison that remained in his system. We're going to start him on a more aggressive detoxification drug, which could have a few unpleasant side-effects, but he should be fine in a few days."

"Thank you," Minato breathed with relief, visibly relaxing.

Soon enough, the doctors stepped away and left the room, having managed to get Kakashi's pain under control enough for him to relax slightly.

"It's dark, Sensei," Kakashi whispered abruptly, his voice weak, quivering with a wince of pain as he shifted into a less upright position.

Minato was confused for a moment, and stumbled over words in his mind, though his search for the right words was quickly interrupted.

"Damn it," Kakashi hissed in frustration, curling one hand into a tight fist, "I'm terrified, and I- it's just- I don't-"

Kakashi was the one interrupted this time, as Minato pulled him into a caring embrace, prompting the young teen to freeze in surprise.

"It's okay, 'Kashi. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here for you, no matter what, and- and you aren't alone, alright? You don't need to be afraid, because you'll get through this. _We_ will. Together. Okay?"

Kakashi, to his own shock, found himself biting back tears, as he gave a weak nod of acknowledgement.

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's** **Note(s):** Thank you to everyone who's read this story so far! This will be the last chapter (but don't worry, it has an actual conclusion at the end), seeing as I've finished writing everything that I really want to explore in writing this. I'm aware that there are some obvious canon timeline inconsistencies at the end, but for the sake of this story, I decided to ignore those canon details to further enhance the plot.

On a different note, would any of you be interested if I wrote a completely original (non-fanfiction) story? I'd be posting it somewhere else, of course (such as FictionPress or Wattpad), but I'd figure out a way to link to it/share my FictionPress/Wattpad author name on here so you'd have access to it. I do a lot of independent fiction writing, but I don't often post it anywhere online. I have a few ideas, but if anyone has suggestions/requests for genres for this, tell me! If you're interested, let me know in a review or PM!

-Update 18/02/04: Did you know that only 1% of the readers of this story have left a review? Contribute to raising that number, and I'll be eternally grateful!-

* * *

Kakashi cursed as a sharp pain shot through his hand, flinching back from the burning stove. It was the second time he'd burnt himself that morning, in a simple attempt to make breakfast. Along with the burns, he'd managed to end up with several cuts across his hands, from misdirected knives.

It had been two days since he had been discharged from the hospital, and stubbornly turned down his mentor's offer to stay with him and Kushina for a while, as he adjusted to his new 'situation', as Minato had called it. Minato had also insisted that Kakashi take the next week off of training, to give himself more time to rest, though Kakashi had little intention of doing so - the one day of skipped training yesterday was already wearing on his nerves, a deep sense of unrest stirring within him from his idleness.

An hour later, Kakashi set out into the crisp morning, his pace uncharacteristically slow as he started down the street with a cautious stride. After the poison's sudden assault on his body, a week in the hospital had seen to it that said poison was entirely cleaned from his system. Now, with his chakra control having returned - albeit unused for the past two weeks, and rather unsteady - Kakashi found himself drawing on it as a vague sense of security. With no vision to guide himself with, he paid close attention to the chakra signatures around him, which allowed him to, for the most part, avoid crashing into anyone - although he still did, several times. Sticking to the walls of the buildings around the village, Kakashi didn't have much trouble finding his way to the training grounds; over the years, his feet had seemed to subconsciously memorize the path.

The training field was empty, judging by the lack of chakra signatures. With a quiet sigh, Kakashi made his way to the team's regular meeting spot - he had arrived first, as usual. Two minutes later, the field was graced by the sound of another's approach - no, two others' approaches, Kakashi corrected himself as the chakra signatures flickered into his recognition.

"Kakashi!" Kakashi was quick to identify Rin's cheerful voice as the one that had called his name, and he turned to face the general direction from which she approached, with Minato at her side.

"Kakashi, you're here," Minato mused, with only a slight hint of surprise, "didn't I tell you to rest for the next few days?"

Kakashi gave no reply to that; his Sensei already knew the answer.

"What happened to your hands?" Rin inquired in wake of the silence, eyeing Kakashi's bandaged hands with concern.

"Oh, nothing. They're fine."

"Then why-?" Rin begun, however she was immediately interrupted.

"I'm fine, Rin."

"Kakashi-" Minato begun, however he, too, was interrupted.

"I just burnt them this morning - I'm fine."

Rin, of course, wouldn't take Kakashi's insistence as an answer. Without hesitation, she took the boy's left hand in her own, unwrapping the bandages that had been hastily applied. The girl frowned as the fresh burns and cuts beneath were unveiled, however she set to work silently healing them, and quickly moved on to Kakashi's right hand.

"Kakashi!" Obito's bright cry travelled across the field as the Uchiha broke into a run, soon coming to a panting stop by the other three.

"You sound almost happy, baka," Kakashi remarked dryly, almost sensing the Uchiha's wide grin drop into an indignant scowl at his words, as though it were a physical sensation.

"I-" Obito seemed at a loss for words, and settled for an aloof 'hmph'.

"Well, let's get started," Minato announced, and set to work explaining the day's training exercise.

"Alright, any questions?" Minato inquired once finished explaining, and was met by three negative responses. "Good. Everyone, to your positions! Kakashi, stay here for a minute."

With clear reluctance, Kakashi remained in the field as Obito and Rin took off into the woods.

"Yes, Sensei?" Kakashi prompted, crossing his arms with impatience.

"Are you sure you want to do this today, Kakashi? If you want to take a few more days to rest and recover, no one's pressuring you to get back to training so soon."

"I'm fine, Sensei."

"Kakashi..."

"I'm fine, okay?! You don't need to treat me like some amateur genin! I can deal with this, okay?!"

"Kakashi, I didn't mean- I just- I just want to help you, Kakashi."

"And I don't _want_ your help, Sensei!"

"But do you _need_ it?"

Kakashi gave no reply to that, lowering his head with a darkened expression.

"Meet me here tonight, 7:00."

Kakashi flinched at the sudden knock at his door, rising from his spot seated at his table after a second and approaching the door.

"You said 'meet me'," Kakashi begun as he opened the door, having already sensed Minato's chakra signature.

"It's 7:30."

"I-"

"It's not very like you to be late, Kakashi."

"I- I didn't know what time it was," Kakashi admitted, his voice strangely quiet.

"Oh."

Minato shook his head at his own lack of sense - of course Kakashi wouldn't know the time. But...

"This morning?" Minato questioned.

"When you do something every day for years, Sensei, it just becomes a part of you. I don't need a clock to know when training starts."

"Right. Well, soon enough, this will be a part of you. Every night at 7:00, meet me in the training grounds."

"What's the point of this, Sensei?" Kakashi asked dully, stepping out of his apartment and locking the door before he and Minato set off down the street together.

"I'm going to train you. Like you said, Kakashi, you're not some amateur genin. You're a jounin - you have skill, potential. If anyone can overcome this, you can. It'll take a while, but I have faith in you, Kakashi. Soon enough, you'll be fighting like you always have."

Just as with Obito's smile earlier that day, it was almost as though Minato's signature smile was tangible, seeming to lift the weights from the air around them, replacing them with a glimmer of light, that managed to find its way even through the dark walls that Kakashi had found himself trapped within. Somehow, that glimmer of light chipped away at the shadows, until finally, a crack spread, and the darkness shattered, and fell away.

A while it did take, and many times, Kakashi was tempted to drop it all - to turn his back on the way of the ninja, and live out an ordinary citizen's life as best he could. However, not once did Minato allow him to give up in such a way.

Just under a year later, Kakashi departed on his first solo A-rank mission since the incident. Although he came back bloodied and beaten, he surely wasn't broken - it seemed his hard work and training had paid off, after all.

A year after that, when Minato met his end, Kakashi was crushed, but still, Minato's lessons remained within him, and he refused to give up, after coming so far.

In the beginning, Kakashi had but feared the dark. It was overwhelming, a world much too big for his mind to comprehend, and yet so small that it seemed to cave in and crush him.

Now, Kakashi embraced the dark - and truly _saw_ the light clearer than ever before.


End file.
